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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is a transformational coach?

A transformational coach is someone who empowers others to affect change in their lives. Coaches help clients set and meet clearly defined goals, both personally and professionally — including becoming joyful and fulfilled, exploring identity and interpersonal relationships, weathering life’s bumpy transitions, excelling at work, and achieving ambitions.

Just as sports coaches enable athletes to hone themselves into the fastest, strongest, most tactical competitors in their disciplines, transformational coaches help people from all professional and personal backgrounds improve their strengths and build upon their weaknesses to create more abundant, healthy and awesomely joyful lives.

How does transformational coaching work?

Transformational coaches provide clients with the strategies, tools, and skills to confidently face difficult situations, push past emotional barriers and view life with fresh perspective and a positive mindset.

Transformational coaching is not about giving advice — and coaches do not make decisions for you. At the heart of transformational coaching is the idea that individuals must be given the power to help themselves.

Transformational coaching helps clients to evaluate what they are doing now in the light of their goals, dreams, values and intentions. It gives them new choices and leads to change. Coaching helps a person go beyond the mental blocks of what they thought was possible.

Coaches are specially trained to work with people in all walks of life to help them achieve their goals, live their values and be the best they can be.

What happens during a transformational coaching session?

Transformational coaching sessions are typically between 45 minutes and 60 minutes. Sessions can be conducted face to face, over the phone, or via internet video conferencing.

During the session, your coach will ask you many questions, focusing on what you’d like to change — what you want to get out of life, what areas you're unhappy with and where you'd like to see yourself ending up. Although coaches guide the process, it is up to you to to take action and move forward with your goals. You will never be forced to make a decision you don't feel comfortable with and all sessions will be confidential, allowing you to explore your thoughts and feelings privately.

Transformational coaching is a partnership. Your coach will often encourage you (and may also gently challenge you) to explore how you can make positive changes in your life. A coach offers support and feedback to help you to stay focused on your goals.

How is transformational coaching different from counseling or therapy?

Counseling and therapy are processes to remedy the client's problems. The client comes to therapy or counseling because they feel dissatisfied with their life and want relief from psychological and/or physical symptoms.

Patients of counseling or therapy want to get away from pain or discomfort rather than move towards desired goals.; therapy and counseling often seek to understand the past and what went wrong in order to better cope with the present. Transformational coaching focuses on the present and future change, encouraging personal-development and self-improvement. A coach may work with a client who has a good life, but wants the coach to help them make it better still.

Transformational coaches are not (unless specified) qualified to diagnose or treat any health-related problems, although if the situation warrants they will refer you to a medical provider or mental health specialist.

What is the basic philosophy of transformational coaching?

There are a number of principles:

All human beings dream of personal fulfillment and they deserve the opportunity to be their best.

People create their own life experience. Acoach can help a client to create the life that they want.

Intellectual understanding is not enough. Change means taking action.

There is no such thing as failure. If you have not achieved what you want, then you’re still learning. Failure is just a short-term way of saying that you not succeeded — yet.

Everyone already has all the resources they need or can create them. No one is helpless. The client has the answers, the coach has the questions.

A coach works to increase the amount of choice in the client's life.

Coaching is an equal, synergistic partnership.

What are the benefits of transformational coaching?

Individuals will become clear about what they want from life. They will go after it with passion, because they will have cleared away the obstacles that blocked them.

Coaching clients can gain a more satisfying and happier life in every aspect. Professionally, they will often be more effective and skilled at their work and get better results.

For organizations, transformational coaching is a long-term investment in better business performance. It is the most cost effective way of getter higher performance from key individuals. Coaching is evidence of the company's commitment to developing its people and contributes to a supportive organizational culture with high morale.

What can a transformational coach help me with?

Transformational coaches utilize multiple techniques to help clients across all aspects of life. If you've ever struggled with anything — whether it’s sticking to a diet, learning a language, moving out of your comfort zone, standing up for yourself at work, keeping a stable love life, or achieving your 'bucket-list' activities — then consulting a coach could help you.

A transformational coach approaches things pragmatically with an eye toward problem-solving. Through various questions and exercises, your coach will gain an understanding of how you view the world, and from this, will identify the most effective route to your goal. Some people feel intimidated by the idea of change andneed to take things very slowly to fulfill their goals. In this situation, a coach might divide the ultimate goals into smaller bite-sized pieces. Other people get impatient and lose interest if change isn’t realized immediately. In this situation, a coach might introduce strong reminders and incentives to keep them on track. Whatever your approach to life, your coach can tailor sessions to fit.

Transformational coaches can help you any time you’re feeling stuck or want something about your life to be different. For example:

Personal life — Perhaps you feel like you're not making the most of life. There's so much to see, do and learn in this world, but often a lack of confidence, time and willpower can prevent us from doing anything. Transformational coaches use specialized tools and skills to motivate their clients to do the things they want to do, so they can finally fight the urge to procrastinate.

Professional life — Starting and running a business is tough work. Sometimes we get so absorbed in hard work we neglect ourselves. Transformational coaches can help with confidence, leadership, decision-making and work/life balance.

Performance — Improvement is at the heart of transformational coaching. Whatever your skill, coaching could help improve it. Whether you're an athlete, an artist, a businesswoman, a homemaker, a working mother, a writer, a student, a musician, or anything else, consulting a transformational coach will help you to push your limitations and exceed expectations.

Romantic life — Do you ever wonder why the opposite sex never seems to be interested in you? Do you wish you had the confidence to approach someone you have your eye on? Do you have commitment problems? Do you have problems trusting your spouse? Are you having an affair? Are you struggling to deal with a divorce? A transformational coach could help you to understand all of these issues and then help you work towards rectifying them.